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Renna Cosplay Complete!

Posted by Meg

So we have been updating the blog with @rachelr1977‘s awesome sneak peeks for her Renna cosplay over the last couple weeks (you can check out the posts here). And now it is finally done! @rachelr1977 debuted her kickass cosplay at Gen Con a couple weeks ago and wrote about the experience on her blog. Wish I had been there to see it in real life, but these pictures give you an idea of how awesome it must have been!

Colorful Embroidered Wards

Eye-Warding

Everything about this cosplay is beautiful! Amazing job!

Posted on September 6, 2012 at 8:00 am by megelizabeth
Filed under Cosplay, Daylight War, Desert Spear, Events, Fan Art, Fans, Meg, Warded Art, Warded Man
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Why Arlen is so Awesome

Posted by Meg

Art by adamreese2006

A lot of folks name Arlen as their favorite character in the The Demon Cycle books, whether they are writing a review, email or arguing vehemently on the Forum. Personally, I am a fan of Leesha, but that’s probably because she makes magical cloaks and cool potions.

So what draws us to Arlen? He is the first of the main characters that we meet, and his struggle seems to shape the book and his actions directly impact the future of Thesa. Perhaps it is his fierce determination we admire? Or maybe, we just love the way he obliterates corelings like a ninja.

The blog Never Say Die recently listed The Warded Man as one of the best fantasy reads out there. His sentence long review of the book might have the best summary of The Warded Man (and Arlen) I’ve ever read:

Demons come out of the ground at night to terrorise/kill folks and have to be kept back by wards, gradual decline of a largely cowed humanity as a result, young chap has enough of hiding and goes Chuck Norris on the bastards, more or less.

Now I am just picturing a warded Chuck Norris punching fire demons in the throat.

Book Banter’s review of The Warded Man does a great job exploring the roles of each of the main characters and how they effect the storyline, but describes in detail Arlen’s devastation at his mother’s death while his father is so unreachable and cowardly. Maybe the reason we like him so much is because he fits the young hero story arc of leaving his home behind and making a life for himself with the help of his talent and fearlessness. But I think the real reason we are so drawn to him is that rejects the role of being hero and fashions himself as a good samaritan, passing on the knowledge of wards and how to fight the corelings. A sort of Robin Hood character you can’t help but love.

Of course, Rojer and Leesha definitely hold their own in The Warded Man. Blogger Eric Christensen described the three main characters in a recent Warded Man review.

Although they learn similar lessons, the three protagonists do so from very different perspectives. Brett has created unique voices for each of them, making them very realistic.

What do you think? Who is your favorite character and why? Write in the comments or discuss further on the character thread on the Forum.

Posted on September 5, 2012 at 8:00 am by megelizabeth
Filed under Appearances, Daylight War, Desert Spear, Events, Fan Art, Fans, Meg, Reviews, Warded Art, Warded Man
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Awesome Haul

Posted by Meg

While Peat was in Europe, he was handed a large cavas bag from the Voyager UK team commemorating their 15th anniversary. Now, the bag is obviously cool … featuring all sorts of authors such as George R.R. Martin and Robin Hobb, but what was in the bag was much more awesome: Great Bazaar booklets!

As most of you probably know, The Great Bazaar, in print, is very rare. With barely 1200 in existence, US print copies sell for hundreds of dollars, and there is no plan for a reprint. Voyager will be publishing it along with Peat’s other novella Brayan’s Gold in January of 2013, just before the release of The Daylight War, but that will just be a U.K. release.

These little booklets were part of an exclusive Waterstones giveaway to promote the paperback release of The Desert Spear. A very limited number of select stores bundled them with the paperbacks. Like the US printing, there are few in existence, and fans have hunted them all over the UK.

We have five to give away, but Peat and I, stumped as to what sort of contest to do, decided to ask for your help with a poll. Have an opinion? Make sure you click the contest you would like us to run. The poll will be up for a full week, so select your choice by September 11!

[polldaddy poll=6508159]

Posted on September 4, 2012 at 8:00 am by megelizabeth
Filed under Brayan's Gold, Contests, Daylight War, Desert Spear, Fan Art, Fans, Great Bazaar, Meg, Warded Art, Warded Man, World Traveler
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Being A Fantasy Beta Reader

Posted by Meg

With Peat posting about writing and editing The Daylight War, we’ve gotten a lot of questions about beta readers and who gets to be one. Turns out, it’s different for all writers. Fantasy writer Shawn Speakman, author of The Dark Thorn, recently wrote about his experience as a continuity beta reader for bestseller Terry Brooks on Suvudu.

Speakman then asked a whole host of excellent fantasy writers if they used beta readers, where they found them and what the readers look for when reading unpublished works. The answers range from ‘no’ to ‘dozens of them.’ It all depends on the writer and creative process.

Curious about whether your favorite authors use beta readers? Check out the article and read through a list of excellent responses by Pat Rothfuss, Mark Lawrence, Tad Williams, RA Salvatore, Lev Grossman and more.

Here’s Peat’s response. In the article it’s the very last response (save the best for last, right?)

I use beta readers, but at this stage they are only very close personal friends and family (plus my editors and agents, of course). Everyone reads differently, so I don’t usually instruct people on what feedback to give, though the ones who have remained on the list are the ones not afraid to speak their mind, even on things they think I might not want to hear.

Shawn Speakman’s anthology Unfettered will be coming out in early 2013. featuring short stories from some amazing fantasy writers. Peat’s short story Mudboy (set in the world of The Demon Cycle) will be included in Unfettered as well as some top notch stories from well-loved fantasy authors. Check out the official press release to learn more.

Posted on September 3, 2012 at 8:00 am by megelizabeth
Filed under Appearances, Brayan's Gold, Craft, Daylight War, Desert Spear, Events, Fans, Meg, Mudboy, Warded Man
1 Comment »

Tweephole #6

Posted by Meg

The Tweephole is back to bring you Peat’s recent tweets! Following along in realtime with the Tweephole sidebar on the right. Or just scroll down to see what’s been on Peat’s mind lately and while he’s been traveling through Europe!

@PVBrett – #DaylightWar quote for ladies: With those shoes, Wonda could take a wood demon’s bite on one foot while kicking its skull in with the other.
@PVBrett – Terrifying. One of many reasons I resist iCloud. http://t.co/FZU2QNbt This is only the beginning.

@PVBrett – Need to rewrite section where magic used in daytime. Argh! Who made up this stupid fucking magic system?! Oh wait… It was me. #DaylightWar
@PVBrett – Interesting, but unconvincing without examples. RT @PublishersWkly Publishers Make Poor Poker Players | DBW http://t.co/caZAvxO8

@PVBrett – Few things are as uplifting to the spirit as the sight of a clean desk.
@PVBrett – Screw you, spell-check! ‘Thousandfold’ is too a word!
@PVBrett – No matter how hard you try to force them down my throat, MSWord, I will NEVER succumb to using goddamn Tahoma and Calibri. #lineinthesand
@PVBrett – Seriously. MT @nickzas Stop everything you are doing & marvel at the first HD panoramic picture on Mars.http://t.co/eseDp2hN

@PVBrett – Sorry I yelled about your music, Gen Y MT @PublishersWkly E-book Prices Fell in 2011; Boomers Don’t Buy the Most Books http://t.co/FQHHe0wL
@PVBrett – Zero-gravity Yo-Yo tricks in spaaaaaace! http://t.co/WOHzSzbj

@PVBrett – Win. RT @JohnOTheobald @PVBrett http://t.co/DvnOC0MZ
@PVBrett – Comic bookshelf porn: RT @joe_hill HOLY SHIIIIT I wanna go to this Tokyo Comic Book Store so bad: http://t.co/jjfwITid

@PVBrett – RIP Joe Kubert.

@PVBrett – Name something else you can do for $13 that gives you as many hours of enjoyment as a good book.
@PVBrett – What Demon Cycle scene should the German actor read at my signing in Berlin next week? http://t.co/K74UBw0A Tweet ideas to @HeyneFantasySF!
@PVBrett – Today’s unintentionally dirty #DaylightWar quote: “Hasik held one pole in each fist…” #editing
@PVBrett – Thankful NASA is being so open with this. Curse the Bagginses who cut their funding! Panorama of Curiosity on Mars: http://t.co/hhtemQMB

@PVBrett – This just in. Joe Abercrombie eaten by shark. RT @Lapplecrumble Joe in shark attack! @ladyebdon: http://t.co/YFvjuL6Q

@PVBrett – The biggest hurdle in packing for a long trip is footwear.
@PVBrett – Me and my redheaded princess: http://t.co/um78WWOm

@PVBrett – Should’ve taken the teleporter.
@PVBrett – Leaving for my European adventure. If you are on good terms with the travel gods, please speak well of me.
@PVBrett – Lest anyone think I will be slacking on this trip, I have 277 distinct editorial comments to address in #DaylightWar & 30 days to do it…
@PVBrett – My bag was 11 pounds overweight. Penalty? $200. You’ve got to be kidding me, @united.
@PVBrett – Why do they call it an Oyster card? http://t.co/qOcZ4pUp

@PVBrett – I thought it was because the London Underground symbol looks like an oyster.
@PVBrett – Absolutely amazing night at Blackwell’s & beyond. Thanks to the folks there, everyone who came & @FantasyFaction for putting it all together
@PVBrett – Two Prince of Thorns right inside the door!
@PVBrett – Marc from @fantasyfaction pimping @mykecole‘s Control Point at Waterstones Piccadilly: http://t.co/EeM8fUcN

@PVBrett – Control Point at WH Smith at Heathrow Airport!! http://t.co/opDeLwYo

@PVBrett – It’s the great idea I had. MT @Doubtlesswonder Unfortunately it seems there was a very bright light above our heads: http://t.co/0wqvk3Zn

@PVBrett – Bookshelf porn: the elevator at my hotel: http://t.co/CcZntKqR

@PVBrett – I love to be new places, but I hate to travel. #onetobeamup
@PVBrett – All of Berlin appears to be under construction: http://t.co/qevb1g8u

@PVBrett – Was sitting in the town square of Wroc?aw, listening to a street performer sing “I’m a Little Cookie” in Polish. #bizarre
@PVBrett – Mom & my German translator got along a little too well today. Don’t be surprised if German #DaylightWar has all the naughty words cut out.
@PVBrett – Amazing night with Polish readers at the #Polcon bar Cynamon. Some of the nicest people I have ever met. Na zdrowie!
@PVBrett – So sad to hear about Neil Armstrong, but glad he saw us land a car on Mars before he went to explore the final frontier. RIP.
@PVBrett – Could have packed at least 35% less on this trip. Need to consult a travel sensei before my book tour next year.
@PVBrett – Burning books is never the answer. MT @PublishersWkly 50 Shades To Be Burned By UK Domestic Abuse Charity: http://t.co/rr9ugTux

Don’t forget to visit Peat’s Twitter and Author Facebook page for realtime updates and news.

Posted on August 31, 2012 at 8:00 am by megelizabeth
Filed under Appearances, Daylight War, Desert Spear, Events, Fan Art, Fans, Life, Meg, Tweephole, Warded Man, World Traveler
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